Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F21/00—Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
  • G06F21/30—Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
  • G06F21/31—User authentication
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F21/00—Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
  • G06F21/30—Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
  • G06F21/31—User authentication
  • G06F21/41—User authentication where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F2221/00—Indexing scheme relating to security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
  • G06F2221/21—Indexing scheme relating to G06F21/00 and subgroups addressing additional information or applications relating to security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
  • G06F2221/2119—Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links

Definitions

• Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to network computing and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for processing a multi- step authentication sequence that includes a plurality of queries distributed over a plurality of web pages.
• identification tools such as passwords, signatures, social security numbers (SSN), driver license numbers, retinal scans, bio-scans and the like.
• Such transactions include financial, such as banking (e.g., withdrawing, transferring and depositing money through an ATM), commercial sales (e.g., using a credit or debit card to purchase goods and services) and the like; or personal such as social networking sites, blog subscriptions and the like.
• banking e.g., withdrawing, transferring and depositing money through an ATM
• commercial sales e.g., using a credit or debit card to purchase goods and services
• personal such as social networking sites, blog subscriptions and the like.
• the above transactions usually require a login name and a password, but may require other identification information.
• Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method and apparatus for processing a multi-step authentication sequence for accessing a computer resource.
• a method comprising processing form information associated with the authentication sequence, wherein the authentication sequence comprises a plurality of queries associated with a plurality of web pages, and communicating a response to a portion of the authentication sequence using form information that corresponds to a query upon recognition of indicia of the portion of the plurality of web pages where the portion comprises the query.
• Figure 1 is a block diagram of a system according to various embodiments of the present invention.
• Figure 2 is a flow diagram of a method for automating answering a multi- step authentication sequence according to various embodiments of the present invention
• Figure 3 is a flow diagram of a method for recording form information associated with a multi-step authentication sequence according to various embodiments of the present invention.
• Figure 4 is a flow diagram of a method for automating a multi-step authentication sequence for accessing a computer resource according to various embodiments of the present invention.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system 100 according to various embodiments of the present invention.
• the system 100 comprises a client computer 102 and a server 104, coupled to each other through a network 106.
• the network 106 comprises a communication system that connects a computer system by wire, cable, fiber optic, and/or wireless links facilitated by various types of well-known network elements, such as hubs, switches, routers, and the like.
• the network 106 may employ various well-known protocols to communication information amongst the network resources.
• the network 106 may be part of the Internet or intranet using various communications infrastructure such as Ethernet, WiFi, WiMax, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and the like.
• the server 104 is configured to provide services (e.g., web, data, processing) to the client 102.
• the server 104 comprises a CPU 1 14, support circuits 1 16, and a memory 1 18.
• the CPU 1 14 may be one or more of any commercially available microprocessors or microcontrollers.
• the support circuits 1 16 are used in support of the operation of the CPU 1 14.
• the support circuits 1 16 include, for example, cache, input/output circuits, communications circuits, clock circuits, power supplies, system bus, PCI bus and the like.
• the memory 1 18 may comprise random access memory, read only memory, removable storage, optical storage and the like. Various types of software modules and information are resident within the memory 1 18.
• an authentication module 128 is stored in memory 1 18.
• the authentication module 128 performs a multi-step authentication sequence that generally comprises a plurality of queries spread amongst a plurality of web sites.
• the authentication module may include any combination of validation images, challenge questions, login/password information as well as any other information or modules required to present the plurality of web pages to the client 102 (e.g., documents in markup or scripting languages such as HTML, XML, PHP and the like).
• the client computer 102 comprises a CPU 108, various support circuits 1 10, and a memory 1 12.
• the CPU 108 may be one or more of any commercially available microprocessors or microcontrollers.
• the various support circuits 1 10 are used in support of the operation of the CPU 108.
• the support circuits 1 10 include, for example, cache, input/output circuits, communications circuits, clock circuits, power supplies, system bus, PCI bus and the like.
• Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the hardware depicted in the Figure 1 may vary from one computer system to another. For example, other peripheral devices, such as optical disk drives, graphics card, data storage devices, various other input devices and the like, may also be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted.
• the memory 1 12 may comprise random access memory, read only memory, removable storage, optical storage and the like. In at least one embodiment of the invention. Various types of software modules and information are resident within the memory 1 12.
• the memory 1 12 includes an interaction module 120, form information 122, a recognition module 124, and a replay module 126.
• the interaction module 120, the recognition module 124, and the replay module 126 are sets of instructions executed by CPU 108 to perform a method in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.
• the interaction module 120 may be a stand alone software program or may be a portion of a larger program such as an internet web browser (e.g., a plug-in application).
• the interaction module 120 monitors user interaction with web forms (e.g., the plurality of queries of the multi-step authentication sequence) and records form fields (e.g., challenge questions, login, password, SSN and other queries), inputs (e.g., answers) and the like. Then, the interaction module 120 stores such information as form information 122 in the memory 1 12.
• the multi-step authentication sequence 128 is recognized by identifying web pages that contain password fields. If a password field is found on a first web page, and there is no username field on that same page, then the interaction module searches the form information 122 recently completed form data on a second web page associated with the first web page. If so, then a multi-step authentication sequence has been recognized. The interaction module 120 gathers prior forms that were recently completed on a same or similar URL associated with the first web page, and stores the form data (e.g., form fields, input values and other site information) including as form information 122.
• form data e.g., form fields, input values and other site information
• the interaction module 120 also stores various indicia 123 of the plurality web pages (e.g., hosting URL, target URL, form field names, layout information of the plurality of web pages and the like) in the form information 122 for use by the recognition module 124.
• the form information 122 would only need to store no more than the last 5 to 10 web forms encountered. However, the storage capacity of the form information 122 would need to be flexible to accommodate future changes to multi-step authentication sequences.
• the form information 122 also includes interactions which have been determined to be associated with the multi-step authentication sequence that the user desires to remember.
• the recognition module 124 is employed to identify the various indicia 127 (i.e., hosting URL, target URL, form field names and the like) of the commencement or continuation of a previously recorded multi-step authentication sequence.
• the various indicia 123 may be identified by both exact and fuzzy (inexact) match indicators (e.g., hosting/target URLs, form field names, or page text (visible to the user)).
• the replay module 126 is notified.
• the various indicia 127 used to identify the previously recorded multi- step authentication sequence are communicated to the replay module 126.
• the replay module 126 operates based on notifications from the recognition module 124.
• the replay module 126 module pulls the appropriate portion of the form information 122 for the currently active step of the multi-step authentication sequences and pushes (i.e., click the same submit, or similar, button that the user had originally clicked) the portion to the browser.
• the "pushing" moves the multi-step authentication sequence to the next step by correctly answering one of the plurality of the queries.
• the recognition module 124 recognizes the next step and calls the replay module 126, which repeats the above operations on the next step.
• the recognition module 124 may verify the validation image displayed to the user before notifying the replay module 126. Consequently, if the recognition module 124 determines a mismatch between the recorded validation image and the displayed validation image, then processing of the multi-step authentication sequence is terminated due to a high likelihood of a phishing or pharming web page.
• the replay module 126 does not auto-respond to the challenge question. Instead, the user fills in the answer and clicks next, at which point the replay module 126 would record the user's answer in the form information 122 and any associated indicia in the various indicia 123 within the form information 122. Further, once the user manually answers the challenge question, the recognition module 124 processes the next step in the multi-step authentication sequence.
• FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method 200 for automatically answering a multi-step authentication sequence.
• the method 200 begins at step 202, and at step 204, form information that may be used in completing the multi-step authentication sequence is processed.
• step 206 it is determined whether a portion of a previously recorded multi-step authentication sequence is recognized. If the portion is not recognized, option "No", the method 200 proceeds to step 212. If the portion is recognized, option "Yes”, the method 200 proceeds to step 208 where a response is communicated using the form information that corresponds to the portion.
• step 210 a determination is made as to whether there are any more steps in the multi-step authentication sequence. If there are more steps, the method 200 returns to step 206 and repeats the recognition determination for the next step in the multi-step authentication sequence. If there are no more steps, the method 200 proceeds to step 212. The method ends at step 212.
• FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method 300 for recording form information associated with a multi-step authentication sequence in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.
• the method 300 begins at step 302, and in step 304, user interaction with a plurality of web forms is monitored.
• a first web page is processed (i.e., fields, inputs, etc. are recorded from the web page).
• a second web page is similarly processed.
• the multi-step authentication sequence is recognized by identifying web pages that contain password fields.
• the form information is examined to determine if the user had recently filled-in form data on any other web pages (e.g., the second web page) on a site associated the first web page.
• the first web page comprises the password field and the second web page is associated with the same site as the first web page and comprises another query for accessing a computer resource, then the first web page and the second web page most likely form part of the multi-step authentication sequence.
• step 318 If the web pages form a portion of the multi-step authentication sequence, option "Yes”, then in step 312 form information associated with the first and second web pages are recorded.
• the recorded form information is associated with indicia of the multi-step authentication sequence (e.g., hosting/target URLs, form field names, or page text (visible to the user)).
• step 316 a determination is made as to whether one or more web pages are included within the remaining portion of the multi-step authentication sequence.
• step 312 If there are one or more web pages, the method 300 returns to step 312 where form information for the next web page is recorded and such form information is associated with indicia of the next web page in the multi- step authentication sequence. If there are no more web pages in the multi-step authentication sequence, the method 300 proceeds to step 318. At step 318, the method 300 ends.
• FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method for automating a multi-step authentication sequence for accessing a computer resource in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
• the method begins at step 402 and proceeds to step 404, where indicia of a portion of the multi-step authentication sequence with a query of a currently active web page.
• the currently active page is examined to determine if indicia present thereupon matches previously recorded indicia of the multi-step authentication sequence.
• step 408 a user is notified of an invalid portion of the multi-step authentication sequence (e.g., a phishing site using an incorrect validation image).
• step 410 the query and user-entered response are recorded in the form information.
• step 412 the query and the response are associated with (indicia of) the multi-step authentication sequence. Then, the method 400 proceeds to step 420 described below.
• step 414 the portion (e.g., validation image) is validated if there is a match between the indicia of the currently active web page and the portion of the multi-step authentication sequence, as explained above.
• step 416 a corresponding response in the form information is accessed.
• step 418 the corresponding response to the query is submitted.
• step 420 a determination is made as to whether there are more queries in the multi-step authentication sequence. If there are more queries, the method 400 returns to step 404. If there are no more queries, the method 400 proceeds to step 422. The method ends at step 422.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• Software Systems (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Information Transfer Between Computers (AREA)
• Storage Device Security (AREA)
• Information Retrieval, Db Structures And Fs Structures Therefor (AREA)
• Computer And Data Communications (AREA)

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• 2007
  • 2007-12-18 US US12/002,706 patent/US8353039B2/en active Active
• 2008
  • 2008-12-09 JP JP2010539622A patent/JP2011509453A/ja active Pending
  • 2008-12-09 EP EP08860895A patent/EP2223462A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2008-12-09 WO PCT/US2008/086074 patent/WO2009079274A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2008-12-09 CN CN200880125211.0A patent/CN101971560B/zh active Active
• 2016
  • 2016-02-10 JP JP2016023928A patent/JP6219993B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related

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